The Story
by lildark7
Summary: "So you really aren't doing all this just to spite the government?" asked Lacie.  "If that's all you heard, why'd you join us?" Ashleen questioned, never lifting her gaze.  "I didn't believe them," Lacie answered simply.


_In collaboration with Angel.9 Rakou Cobra_

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><p><em><strong>Scene 2: <strong>__**Into the City**_

They arrived at the city with a bus. Lacie was wearing her new profile less shoes she had got from Ashleen the day before.

Everything sparkled in the light. The walls, ground, houses and even vehicles were sparkling like crystals in the light. They had been glazed with double glazed glass. Everything was protected by it, like the city wearing a supersized amour.

"It's pretty," Lacie stated in amazement. "I didn't think the city was that nice. It's so different from where we live. Everything is clean and without any sign of damage." Lacie looked down into the valley. Her eyes followed the bus that was going back down from where they came from. Sadness was reflected on her face. "I wish we were free to live here..." she whispered.

Lacie knew that they'd never make it that far. They'd never be able to live in the city because of their status here. They were the 'rebel's' listed in the government's database for fighting for freedom and equal rights.

Ashleen turned around to her. She had been watching the people passing them on the streets. She pointed at the ground. "Do you see that?" she asked Lacie.

"See what?" She looked down.

xoxox

"That glow," muttered Ashleen angrily. "They're tracking them. They're tracking everyone. Privacy is dead."

Lacie watched closely as the other people walked down the streets before her. At their feet, a faint glow appeared. Every step they took lit up the already shining sidewalks. As quickly as it appeared, the light faded again. No matter where they went, the glow followed; it even trailed them as they entered nearby buildings. Almost frighteningly, none of the people seemed to be aware of this strange phenomenon.

She asked, "What is that?"

"That's just another way the government watches us," hissed Ashleen. "All of those glows... they're recorded on government systems."

"So, every step we take-" began Lacie, only to be cut off by Ashleen, who spat sharply, "-they watch. They literally know your every move."

"That's ridiculous!" cried Lacie.

"Exactly," agreed Ashleen as she started on her way down the road again. "They can see everyone!"

Lacie stared at Ashleen's feet, curious about the mysterious glow. However, something was wrong with Ashleen's footsteps. Eyes slowly widening with each successive step the darkly clad woman took, Lacie dashed up alongside her. Tugging her shoulder, she halted Ashleen.

"Except for you!" she gasped in amazement.

Ashleen smiled playfully, speaking calmly, "What are you talking about?"

"Your feet aren't glowing!" replied Lacie.

Lacie suddenly darted ahead like a child after a stray balloon. Gaze never leaving the sidewalk, she became more and more astonished. She then stopped abruptly and turned to face Ashleen. Lacie's face was one of pure wonder, but, as she noted, Ashleen's was still set in a cheeky grin. Confused slightly, she jogged back and stopped by Ashleen's side once more.

"Didn't you see that?" Lacie asked incredulously. "My feet don't glow either!"

"Lacie," laughed Ashleen, "why do you think we have that silly rule about our shoes?"

xoxox

"I... don't know," Lacie replied. Her face was lightened by a smile. "I'm just so stunned it's really working!" She jumped up and down in front of Ashleen like a kid. She had never thought it'd really work, like Ashleen had told her to. But since the information about the factory who discontinued the shoes came from Takashi himself, it must be right. The information he gave the group always were correct. He worked at an office in the government building. Unlike Ryan who picked up her information from several other gangs downtown. She was more likely to get them into trouble with her actions.

Ashleen raised her eyebrow at Lacie and hissed, "Stop jumping around like that! You're drawing attention to yourself, look at the people who're starting!"

Lacie winced. "I'm sorry."

xoxox

Ashleen shook her head and continued down the street. Lacie, still looking at her shoes, smiled.

"You know, these aren't that ugly," she giggled.

Glancing up, she realized she was speaking to no one. Frantically, she spun around to see Ashleen already a block ahead. Panicked, she ran after her, shouting for her to wait. As soon as she reached Ashleen's side, she was snatched up by her shirt collar.

"Be quiet!" scolded Ashleen, placing Lacie back onto the ground. "You see how those people don't even notice the glow?"

Lacie stood quietly.

"Do you?"

"Y-yes!" she stammered.

"Do you want them to suddenly notice that glow and notice your footprints aren't glowing?" Ashleen growled, glaring into Lacie's fearful eyes.

"No, I suppose not," she answered in a whisper.

"You suppose not?" hissed Ashleen. "You SUPPOSE not? Do you know what those brainwashed little twits do when they notice something out of the average?"

"I'm not really sure," Lacie answered in a meek voice.

"They turn it in to the government!" spat Ashleen, now inches from Lacie's face.

"Why would they waste the time if it doesn't concern them?" Lacie asked, now puzzled.

A look of disbelief washed across Ashleen's face. She continued in a slightly less hostile tone, "What part of 'brainwashed' do you not understand? The masses only eat what the government feeds them. Lies. Deception. It doesn't matter to them, as long as the government says everything is okay. There's no reason to disobey if the government tells them their lives are perfect." She smiled viciously,

"And you know what else the government tells them? Be good little doggies and tell your masters whenever something evil is afoot."

Ashleen glanced at her shoes, stepping back from Lacie.

"And those sure are evil, aren't they?" she laughed.

xoxox

"Yeah." Lacie glanced around. Took a closer look at the people walking the streets, peaceful and without worry. She wondered what they'd do if someone was running around with a gun shooting people. Would they be concerned, or think, 'The government has everything under control, they'll catch the person.'

Lacie looked back up at Ashleen, whose eyes were burning all of a sudden as she looked back at her. "Are you ok?" she asked her.

"No," Ashleen growled. She turned and grabbed Lacie's arm tightly, dragging her down the street.

"What are you doing?" Lacie was suddenly uneasy. Ashleen's behavior meant nothing good. The heavy rings Ashleen was wearing bored into Lacie's skin.

"Ouch! Ashleen, you're hurting me!" Lacie whined.

Ashleen loosened her grip slightly. "I'm sorry…" she buzzed. Then louder, firm, "I want to show you something!"

She began to sprint down the streets. "Keep up with me!"

"Ashleen!" Lacie shouted. "You're too fast I can't sprint like that!" She panicked. Ashleen was dragging her still and she was afraid to trip.

They passed small side streets as they ran and from the corner of her eye Lacie saw Ryan standing under a street lamp, smoking a cigarette, waiting for someone.

"Was that Ryan?" Lacie asked under her breath. She was barely able to speak at the pace they ran down the main road now. "What's she doing?"

"It doesn't matter what she was doing there, Lacie!" Ashleen released her arm as she jumped over a handrail of a staircase leading their way to a lower level.

The houses that have been all painted in a light green at the top level of the city center, were starting to become warmer colors the lower they got. The city was built on a hill, the center of it on top.

They passed more green buildings, color slowly getting a yellow tint to it.

Lacie was standing on top of the staircase looking down at Ashleen who had jumped over the handrail all the way down.

"Why are we moving away from the city's center?" she called.

"Come down here and I'll explain you!" Ashleen answered. When Lacie finally came down the staircase she continued, "You see that the color's changed right?"

"Yes."

"Good," she smiled. "The colder the colors get the stronger the security is. We're not watched by cameras anymore. There's no eyes following us here. No microphones that could hear us."

Lacie was startled, "They record everything up there? Even what we're talking?"

Ashleen spit onto the ground in front of her. The pretty cobbled road in it's glazed amour shone in the light. "Do you see why I hate it here so much? It's all fake! The people here are living a horrible life without even realizing it. If someone raises their voice against the government they get erased like data on a computer. They can do it by pressing one button in the main building. I've seen it before." Ashleen sat down on a blue bench near a tree. The only two things that didn't wear a coat of glass.

Lacie remained silent. She looked at Ashleen.

xoxox

"It's rare you find anything but illusions anymore," Ashleen spoke, nearly in a whisper.

A leaf fell silently from the tree. It fluttered to and fro, happily dancing its way down to the suddenly quiet woman sitting by it on the bench. Nestling itself on the seat beside her, it quivered in a slight breeze, as if asking for attention. Its wish was granted as the woman slowly picked it up, careful not to crush it.

"Look how beautiful it is," she said, holding the half withered leaf out to Lacie. "One of the few things that isn't living a lie."

"So you really aren't doing all this just to spite the government?" asked Lacie, staring at the leaf.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what they say about people like you," continued Lacie. "But it's not true at all."

"And that was my point," hissed Ashleen. "All they do is deceive, deceive, deceive to keep their fat asses in office, rolling in the money and power they stole from everyone else."

Hearing no malice towards her, Lacie calmly seated herself on the bench. She looked up at the tree. Joyously, it swayed its branches back and forth to greet her. Light from the glossy buildings reflected onto the tree, making it shine brighter than anything else the city had to offer. Freedom resonated in the crevices of its ancient bark; the wind in its limbs sang of a time long passed by.

"If that's all you heard, why'd you join us?" Ashleen questioned, never lifting her gaze from the leaf.

"I didn't believe them," Lacie answered simply.

Ashleen smirked, playing with the leaf. Looking away for a moment, her smirk grew into a smile. Within seconds, she broke into laughter. Not knowing how to take this, Lacie crept nervously towards the end of the bench. Ashleen turned to face her, a warm grin on her lips.

"You know what else is rare?" Ashleen got out in the midst of happy laughter. "Beautiful things that aren't tethered by all the ugliness around them."

She reached up and placed the leaf in Lacie's hair.

"So very rare," she said, eyes trained on Lacie's.

Hurriedly, Lacie shot her own eyes to her feet. Face reddening, she hid behind her hair. Chuckling almost knowingly, Ashleen rose. Taking another good look at the leaf in Lacie's dark blonde hair, she smiled.

"Do you want to go back to the heart of the city now?" Ashleen asked. "There are still some nice things buried under all the crap. You just gotta know where to dig."

"Um, okay," Lacie answered, still unable to look up.

"I swear it's safe, okay?" laughed Ashleen. "Just don't jump around like you're on a sugar high again."

She started off, then stopped and turned, noticing Lacie wasn't walking with her.

"Come on!"

"Isn't it the other way?" asked Lacie politely, standing up.

"You wanna _walk _all the way there?" said Ashleen, raising an eyebrow. "Just follow me, alright?"

Lacie followed sheepishly. She felt she could trust Ashleen, yet at the same time, the alleyway they were approaching was foreboding. Although everything was coated in glass in the same fashion as the rest of the city, this one alley did not shine at all. The light simply could not reach it. Looking upwards as she entered it, Lacie could see why.

She was not entering an alleyway at all. A large sign hung above their heads, stating that the area was under construction. It quickly became apparent to Lacie that she had merely entered an unlit hallway with an extremely high ceiling. Squinting a bit, she could make out some lights with their wires exposed. She began to feel the hallway would be quite lovely once the repairs were completed.

"What building is this?" she asked inquisitively.

Ashleen smiled and rounded a bend, saying, "Why don't you come see?"

Curiously, Lacie peered around the corner and saw a faint light in the distance. She looked at Ashleen, almost as if asking for approval, and then began walking down towards the light's source. Close on her heels, Ashleen giggled almost inaudibly.

Shortly, the pair came to a great archway at the end of the hall which opened up into a massive, beautifully shining train station. The walls, the floor, and the single rail that cut across the room were all pure white, coated in well-polished glass. One thing Lacie noted, strangely, was how the rail jutted up into the air and out the glass dome roof, rather than continuing across a flat path like the average train track.

Walking around the big, nearly empty room, Lacie was able to get a better view out of the glass roof. The rail soared up into the heavens, following a great arc around the city, dipping here and there into other stations. With near impossible architecture that one rail appeared to be floating in the air with no supports, providing a breathtaking view of the city.

"Welcome to the Halo," said Ashleen with a smile.

"You mean, that's the monorail people are talking about?" spoke Lacie, her jaw almost dropping. "That white thing I saw in the sky… can support a train?"

"That's right," replied Ashleen. "And I've got two tickets to ride."

xoxox

"You got two tickets?" Lacie stared at the two silver cards Ashleen was holding into her face. She was grinning in a playful manner.

"Do you want to go?" she asked.

"Of course I want to go!" Lacie was overjoyed. Never had she believed she'd be able to go on the monorail in her life, and here was Ashleen holding two tickets right in front of her eyes. "Where did you ge-?" she commenced but was cut off by Ashleen, who snarled, "Not here!"

"Bu-," Lacie tried again, just to be roughly turned to the right back corner of the almost empty hall. Her eyes fixated upon a man dressed in a white uniform.

Ashleen hissed, "Security guard! He's going to check our tickets too."

The man glanced at them and Ashleen quickly released Lacie again as he stepped forward.

"Welcome to the halo," he said. His voice was high and almost computer like as he spoke. He scanned Lacie and Ashleen with his eyes.

Lacie gasped. The man's eyes were light blue, so light that they almost appeared to be white. They were cold. However not lifeless. They sparkled in the light that shone into the room from above.

Ashleen didn't seem to be scared of him even as much as Lacie was. She smiled friendly at him and showed him the tickets.

"Where are you going today?" he asked her. His white blonde hair shimmered. He was pale. He didn't look like he got out too much.

"We're going to the marketplace on level 1," Ashleen answered.

"Ah," the man made. "Then I'm wishing you a pleasant stay. Watch your step as you enter the train."

"We will. Thank you." The man didn't hear it. He had already turned around again and was going back to the corner in the room he had been standing.

The two of them entered the white train. It's floor was glazed. There were other people going to or coming from work. Ashleen gently pushed Lacie forward towards the end of the train. The seats were light blue and the interior simple and clean. Lacie watched the footsteps of the people passing them glow up and fade again.

A computer generated female voice announced, "Please take seats and fasten your seatbelts, or the train cannot continue to level 1 district."

Ashleen's face grew hard for a second as she heard the instruction. "Bullshit," she growled.

Lacie was pushed further into the back of the train until Ashleen told her to sit down next to her. The long sides of the train were tiled with seats. Everyone was sitting opposite to another person. The middle of the train was clear. Lacie looked out of the window. They still hadn't left the station yet. There were still people getting a seat.

The female voice was heard again.

Ashleen leaned back in her seat. "At least they're comfy," she smiled.

And they really were. Lacie had been staring in amazement not noticing it.

"Doors are closing," the computer voice announced. "Please sit back."

Around their waists a fade light lit up. It wrapped itself along their chests and back down into an opening in the seat.

"Seatbelts fastened," the voice announced. "Ready for departure."

Lacie stared at the glowing stream of light around her waist and chest and she noticed: They were made of fiber glass that had several light emitting diodes in it.

"Who's that?"

Lacie raised her eyes from the belt and saw that Ashleen was talking to a black haired guy with light skin. He looked Korean and was wearing blue jeans and a white buttoned shirt.

"Oh that's Lacie," Ashleen said. Her voice came along with the announcement. "Leaving level 2 station."

The train shot into the sky like a bullet and the ceiling whizzed past them in less than a second. Lacie closed her eyes. It was like going with a rollercoaster.

"Maybe you should've warned her?" It was the guy's voice.

Ashleen answered something but Lacie didn't hear it. She was trying not to throw up. She suddenly felt Ashleen's hand on her shoulder. Her voice was close to her ear. "It's over in a second. It's just the way out of the station."

Lacie nodded. The speed of the train pressed her into the seat and then as soon as it had started, it stopped again.

"Main rail reached, unfastening seatbelts."

Lacie opened her eyes. They were going through side streets and artificial landscapes. It was beautiful. Everything glittered and shimmered in the light. The part of the city the halo was going through looked like in a fairytale, bright colorful and without any signs of unnatural clean and sterile. There were flowers in pots on the window stills and trees and bushes near the sidewalks. Lacie stared in awe.

Ashleen smiled and turned back to the guy who had asked about Lacie. She asked him, "You're heading to the office I guess?" To Lacie, "By the way that's Takashi."

Lacie reached out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Takashi took it and nodded politely. "What brings you here, Ashleen? You haven't been here for a while."

She pointed at Lacie, "She brings me here. I'm showing her around."

"I see." Takashi glanced at Lacie once more. "If you're about to go to level one," he whispered to Ashleen. "Make sure to avoid the side streets. Ryan's got in trouble again, she was with another gang again, she almost got caught swiping a pack of cigarettes out of a store."

Ashleen's face distorted into an angry mask. Her hands clenched into fists. "When I get her she'll regret what she did. I have told her before not to hang around at level 1 on her own with other gangs!" Her head shot to Lacie. "You've seen her before! What was she doing? What?"

"I-," Lacie tried to remember. "She stood in a side street smoking. She looked like she was waiting for someone."

"Like I thought," Takashi stated. "She's in deep trouble. When I see her on my way up I'll talk to her and send her back to the ground level immediately. I'm sending her to our place."

"Good," Ashleen bristled with anger. "She'll see what she got from that when I get back there. I'll tear her to pieces!"

Lacie looked worried at her. Her eyes frightened. Ashleen looked like she was serious about that. "Um… Ashleen," she started, but the green eyes that met hers made sure that she wouldn't speak another word. They were raging like a tornado.

"Don't worry about Ryan, Lacie," Takashi soothed her. "She'll be fine."

"Ok." Lacie wasn't quite sure figuring from the look on Ashleen's face.

"She'll get a nasty surprise," Ashleen whispered, a horrifying smile on her face.

Takashi grabbed her arm. "I'll deal with her when I see her. Just show Lacie the city and don't think about it for a while. Look at her…"

Ashleen turned her head and saw Lacie's worried, anxious expression. She smiled gently at her. Then she spat, "It's probably like Ryan said. I only mean half of what I say most of the time…"

Lacie let out a distressed laughter. Ashleen's eyes grew warm again. Lacie relaxed.

Ashleen changed the subject, "So Takashi you'll join the meeting tomorrow? It's your day off after all."

Takeshi laughed, "Of course I will. I always come whenever I can."

"Good, then I guess see you tomorrow, pal. That's your station right?"

Lacie hadn't noticed that they had halted next to a large multistory building. Takashi stood up. "See you tomorrow guys. Enjoy your stay."

As he passed them Lacie noticed a tribal tattoo on his arm. His glowing footsteps left the train.

"Ashleen his footsteps!"

"All cover, don't worry. He's not wearing our shoes because he works for the government. He has an apartment up at level 1 too. When he leaves the house for us tomorrow he'll leave it with the chucks on." Ashleen explained.

It all made sense. They had people from the gang working undercover to get information.

Ashleen smirked. "We're better than them, Lacie. We're smarter." She tapped her forehead and chuckled. "Though not all of us are as smart as we are."

Lacie knew she was talking about Ryan.

They got off the train 3 stations after Takashi. The station at level 1 didn't look any different from the one they had entered the train from. But when they stepped outside they were surrounded by glazed walls and streets again.

xoxoxxoxox

"So where are we headed?" Lacie asked curious about what else Ashleen was going to show her.

She smiled, "We're going to the marketplace. They have a lot of awesome stuff there. C'mon!"

Once again Lacie followed Ashleen wherever she was going. She could hear the noise and people talking even at that distance. There were a hundred small market stalls with all kind of different things. Food, jewelry, clothes, cosmetics, electronics. There was nothing missing at all. They literally had everything you could long for.

Lacie stood and stared at the variety of different meals one stand had to offer. She hears Ashleen ask, "Are you hungry? We can sit down at one of the tables over there and have something." She pointed at the glass tables off center on the marketplace. They were roofed.

"Um…" Lacie said. She was unsure. "I don't know. Only if you're hungry too."

Ashleen laughed, "Are you afraid you could get fat if you ate something?" She pointed at Lacie's belly. "You're definitely too fat Lacie!" She hissed jokingly.

Lacie raised her eyebrow. "Too fat?" she asked. "Who's the fat one here, Mrs. Overweight?" She laughed and smiled, friendly.

Ashleen's expression changed. She was upset. She had mistaken Lacie's joke for serious. It had hurt her self-esteem, even though she wasn't fat at all. Her eyes were piercing as she answered in a dangerous voice, "You're calling me fat? You know that I'm not! Now go and get a seat! Mrs. Overweight will get something to eat for us."

"Ashleen, you know it was a-," Lacie never got to finish apologizing. She got grabbed by the shoulders roughly.

"Get a seat!" Ashleen's tone was cold. She turned around and stomped off, saying, "It might take me a while to be back."

With those words Lacie took a seat at a free table and waited for Ashleen. 'I didn't mean to insult you,' she thought. 'It was a joke, you know that you're not fat. You said it yourself.' Lacie felt bad for having said it. She knew how short tempered Ashleen was. She had to be more careful with what she said the next time. She didn't know Ashleen was feeling the same as her right this second. Neither did she know that Ashleen was still watching her.

xoxoxxoxox

Ashleen looked back at the table Lacie had sat down at. She might have been too rough with her, but she couldn't take it back now. She might would apologize to her later. She had seen something and had needed to get Lacie out of the way for a moment for it. She walked back to the jewelry stand she had seen the red jeweled nose stud at. She wouldn't even have considered the color for Lacie if she wasn't wearing that red gray striped shirt today, because Lacie was wearing blue all the time. She looked at the other things the stand offered. It had a lineup of different piercing jewelry, necklaces, bracelets and rings.

Ashleen knew she would end up buying something for herself too. She asked the price for several things, because she didn't have much money with her and she had to buy something to eat too. To her luck the stud and the things she wanted weren't as expensive as she thought. She decided on one thing for herself.

Leaving the stall with 2 small boxes, one for Lacie the other for herself she tugged both in the pockets of her leather jacket and zipped them shut.

'Now let's get something to eat,' she thought. She hadn't asked Lacie what she wanted to eat, but she knew here well enough and bought her a huge slice of pizza while getting herself some Chinese noodles. When she came back to the table Lacie was sitting at, Lacie didn't look up as she sat down opposite to her.

"I'm sorry, Ashleen," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to upset you. You know you're not fat, don't you? And…"

"Go on," Ashleen demanded, her voice not forceful at all.

Lacie looked up at her, her eyes shy and wary. "I really meant it as a joke." She looked away again, her cheeks flushing. "I think you're pretty just like you are." She smiled, still unable to look into Ashleen's eyes. She tried to change the subject, "Where have you been so long?"

Ashleen didn't take the bait. "Lacie?" she asked once more her voice was quiet.

"Yeah?" she stared at her hands.

"Please look at me."

As she did, she saw Ashleen smiling happily. "It's ok, forget about it. I was just being dumb."

Lacie couldn't help but smile back at her. "Ok," she said.

Ashleen felt that urge to take Lacie's hand in hers, but she held herself back. She laughed, "Now eat your pizza before it gets cold, my Mrs. Overweight."

For a second, surprise flashed up in Lacie's eyes. She had winced at the word 'my' unknowingly. Ashleen smiled wider. "What?" she questioned. "Don't like your pizza?"

Lacie shook her head as if to get a thought out of her head. "No, no," she stuttered. "It's fine, I love pizza." She took a bite. "It's just…" she didn't know what to say. Where had her head been just a second ago? "I was just somewhere else for a second… It's nothing." She chuckled. "I'm ok."

"All right." Ashleen started stuffing her face with noodles, grinning over both ears. Now she knew for real that Lacie secretly wasn't as afraid of her as anyone had thought. In fact. She liked her.

"What are you smiling at?" Lacie wanted to know. She was half laughing at Ashleen stuffing her face.

"Nothing," Ashleen muffled between two bites of noodles. She swallowed and stated, "You're not afraid of me."

Lacie was confused. "What? Of course you're scary! What's this about?"

Ashleen explained, "Everyone says you're afraid of me."

Lacie retorted, "And you believed them?"

Ashleen smiled, as she heard Lacie's words from earlier as she repeated them.

"No, I didn't believe them," she said. She didn't know if Lacie had picked up her hint. She didn't seem to.

"Ok, and so now, what's this about?" Lacie looked amused.

Ashleen shook her head. "I won't tell you," she giggled. "You have to hit on it yourself."

Lacie thought for a while. Then, "I don't know. Won't you just tell me?"

Ashleen kept grinning, "No." She took another bite noodles. "You'll find out soon enough what I'm talking about."

Lacie raised her eyebrow.

"All right, all right," Ashleen shouted frustrated. "I'm telling you!" She leaned forward, looking straight into Lacie's blue eyes. "You 'like' me," she said.

"Of course I like you!" Lacie replied. She smiled. "Just because everyone says I'm afraid of you doesn't actually mean that 'hating you' comes along with it."

"So you really like me?"

Lacie didn't understand why Ashleen was so serious all of a sudden.

"Yes," she answered, looking back into her green eyes. There was something in them she couldn't tell what it was. "I do like you."

A grateful and triumphant expression crossed Ashleen's face. "Thank you," she whispered.

Lacie's eyes were still on Ashleen's as they widened. "No need to thank me." She looked away hurriedly and ate up her pizza.

xoxox

Ashleen could feel the boxes prodding into her sides. Her smile widening more than she ever thought possible, she wondered if now was the proper time to give Lacie her gift. A quick scan of her environment told her it wasn't. There were people here, there, and everywhere. The moment was just not personal enough for her.

"Well, you sure ate that quickly," laughed Ashleen. "Where are you hiding all that food?"

"Um," Lacie said, mind elsewhere.

Suddenly she snapped back into the current and realized she'd eaten all of her pizza without so much as noticing. Her thoughts had been racing far from her lunch.

"Oh, I guess the same place you hide it all," she replied, smiling.

"Wanna go somewhere else now?" Ashleen asked, almost impatiently.

"You mean to some of the little shops?" Lacie said, still smiling.

"Um, actually," Ashleen went on, a strange tone in her voice, "I was thinking maybe we could check out this little park first. You know… walk off all this food?"

Lacie couldn't put her finger on it, but something was definitely different about how Ashleen was speaking. Somehow, Lacie felt there was another reason she was so intent on heading to the park, even though only moments before, she was interested in the marketplace. Following her instincts, Lacie immediately agreed to go where Ashleen was suggesting.

"Great!" exclaimed Ashleen, eyes lit up. Suddenly stifling her enthusiasm, she continued, "I mean, I think you'll like it."

Lacie smiled and stated simply, "I'm sure I will."

With that, Ashleen stood up from the table, gathering their garbage and placing it into a nearby glazed trash bin. She waved for Lacie to follow her, and Lacie swiftly did, weaving in and out of tables and chairs.

Soon, the two were in the midst of many stalls and shops, selling everything the mind could imagine. One stall had an oriental man showing off his incredible wares, each with intricate foreign patterns. Another boasted a collection of wooden toys, each obviously handmade and unique. Other stalls were carrying everything from bedding to musical instruments and watches to writing utensils.

"This is amazing!" Lacie gasped. "Even just walking by! Look how many things there are!"

"Don't worry," chuckled Ashleen. "We'll still stop by here on the way back."

"Oh, I can't wait!" cried Lacie.

Eventually, the stalls gave way to a great, grassy field. However, the grass was all glazed as well. Even the trees in this area had been coated with glass, unlike the one Lacie had seen earlier.

"How are those surviving like that?" questioned Lacie curiously.

"I think there are pumps under that glass somewhere, pushing air to all the plants," answered Ashleen.

Lacie went to ask another question, but it decided to answer itself. A man in a construction uniform was carefully chipping glass away from a young flower which had been crushed beneath its shining prison. Happily, it popped up as the last bit of glass was removed from its petals. Putting his tool down, he picked up another and, equally carefully, began glazing over the new growth.

"So they have to take the glass off and replace it when something new grows?" asked Lacie.

"Yup, they're that ridiculous about their glazing," laughed Ashleen.

"I wonder why they ignored that other tree," pondered Lacie.

"I suppose they forgot about it," Ashleen said.

A little ways down a shiny path, the two happened upon a gorgeously designed bench. Its legs twisted this way and that, all the while maintaining an elegant and balanced feel. Its back was adorned with small carvings of various flowers. Glancing about, Ashleen saw no one near and rested herself on its curvy seat.

She looked at the empty space beside her, and then up to Lacie. Taking the hint, Lacie sat on the bench and smiled at Ashleen, as if waiting for something.

Indeed, there was something to wait for. Ashleen unzipped a pocket on her jacket and removed a small box. Staring at it for a moment, she thought about it again. Alas, it was already too late to turn back; Lacie had seen the box and was instantly curious of its contents. She couldn't help but wonder if it was intended for her.

Assuring herself there was nothing to be afraid of, Ashleen extended her hand to Lacie, little box teetering as it was carried to its new owner. Slightly surprised that her assumption was correct, Lacie gently took the box and opened it, peering inside.

Inside, nestled against a silken lining, a petite, red stud peered back. Lacie smiled her brightest smile yet. She looked to Ashleen, then to the stud, and then back to Ashleen. Ashleen was smiling as well now.

"Is it for me?" asked Lacie carefully.

"No, I thought I'd give it to that construction guy," joked Ashleen.

Lacie laughed, and then said shyly, "Thank you so much. I love it."

The word 'love' spun round and round in Ashleen's head. Sure, it was merely love being expressed towards a little object, but something felt so special about the word. Blushing ever so slightly, she felt her heart race and stared away into the distance.

"I just thought you might like it," she muttered.

"And I do," replied Lacie. "I can't wait to try it on."

She glanced at Ashleen's reddened cheek for a moment. A smile flickered across her lips, which she promptly hid. Neither looked at the other from there on, sitting in complete silence for a few never ending minutes.

Finally Ashleen broke the silence: "So, um, you wanna go back to the marketplace now? I just thought you'd like to see the ridiculous way they 'garden' here."

"Oh, well, actually, all I really wanted was a new nose stud," she said happily. "Maybe we should just head back."

Ashleen couldn't tell why, but it seemed there was a reason Lacie so badly wanted to return to that small shack. Part of her was dying to outright ask why, but she bit her tongue. Instead, she agreed to bring Lacie back to their headquarters.

"How about we take a scenic route?" she asked.

"Sure," replied Lacie. "I'd love to."

Once again that word burnt into Ashleen's mind, but she shook it off this time and led Lacie further down the sparkling path. The two passed by lovely flowers, all untouchable beneath their layers of glass. Begging to breathe nature air, the flowers and trees tried in vain to sway in the small breezes created by some hidden air pump.

"The poor things look like they want to be let out," remarked Lacie, playing with the gift she held.

"Just another thing chained down by the government," muttered Ashleen.

Lacie went to agree, but went silent as she looked up from the little box in her hands. She finally stammered, "What… is that?"

Before the pair stood an amazing glass structure. It appeared to be a series of glass tubes, roses making their way through them. The tubes formed a large heart filled with tubes weaving in intricate patterns.

"I give you," said Ashleen, waving her arms grandly, "the Bleeding Heart."

Stunned by the unbelievable twists and turns in the middle of the heart, Lacie stood quietly, jaw dropped. Upon closer inspection, she came to realize the roses weren't simply jammed into the tubes; they were, in fact, growing from the base of the structure up to the very top. Whoever had designed this wild thing had actually forced the roses to grow into the shape.

"Even I have to admit, it's kinda pretty," Ashleen chuckled, admiring it. "Nuts… but pretty."

"I wonder why they're so obsessed with glass, though," Lacie said.

"I dunno," Ashleen replied. "They're idiots, living in their little fantasy world where everything is safe and protected."

Catching the darkened tone in her voice, Lacie asked cheerfully, "So what else is on this scenic route of yours?"

"Plenty," said Ashleen, brightening up. "Let's grab a bus."

Happy to have cheered her up, Lacie followed Ashleen to the end of the path to a bus stop. At the stop stood a sign mentioning the bus's schedule and a very plain bench, which Lacie quickly made herself comfortable on. Watching her, Ashleen started to laugh.

"I wouldn't waste my time sitting, you!" she said. "The bus should be here any minute."

Sure enough, a bus stopped before them, its large windows full of all sorts of people. It gave a short hiss as its door opened. Staring down at them with a bored expression, the bus driver motioned for them to hurry up. Jumping from her seat immediately, Lacie followed Ashleen onto the bus. Dropping some change in the fare collector, Ashleen lead Lacie to an empty seat.

"I don't really like the window seat," Lacie stated when Ashleen tried to let her sit first.

"And how am I supposed to show you anything?" asked Ashleen.

"I'll just have to look past you," Lacie answered with a smile.

Shrugging, Ashleen sat down by the window. The bus let out another hiss as the doors shut, prompting Lacie to sit down quickly beside Ashleen. With a low growl, the bus moved forward, leaving the park in its dust. It rode mostly smoothly, with the occasional bump here and there.

"Aren't we heading the wrong way?" asked Lacie.

"It'll loop around soon," replied Ashleen. "It does a couple quick stops up here and then heads for the city limits. It's not much of a walk from there."

"No other stops?"

"Not one," continued Ashleen. "It's an express line in and out of the city's center. I know it doesn't sound like you'll see much, but there is '_one' _very interesting thing I'd like you to pay attention to."

"What is it?" questioned Lacie.

"Some people call it the Rainbow," answered Ashleen. "Others the Psychedelic Rush. It's something you only notice on an express line like this one. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."

Lacie silently nodded and watched out the window with Ashleen. After a few stops, she couldn't help but ask, "Have we seen it?"

"No."

The bus stopped a couple more times and she questioned, "Have I missed it?"

"Nope. Be patient."

Right as Ashleen spoke those words, the bus turned onto a street marked "Express Lines Only." Lacie leaned into the aisle to get a better view out the front. What she saw was a sharp incline, heading in a straight path for the edge of the city. Lined with glass fences, buildings sat about its sides.

"Ashleen?" cried Lacie as the bus sped down the hill at an alarming clip. "Ashleeeeeen? Is this safe?"

Ashleen couldn't hold back her laughter as the bus began its rapid descent. Quickly she said, "Oh, and this is what you need to watch! Look out the side window!"

Barely able to take her eyes off the road racing before her, Lacie looked out the side as instructed. What she saw was incredible; the buildings changed colors as they went down, blurring into each other. First she saw green melt into blue. Then the blue raced into yellow, which in turn faded into purple. Purple let way to red, which let way to orange, which became gray. Faster and faster the bus went, and gray became white, then finally brown as they reached the lowest level.

Seeing Lacie's wide eyes, Ashleen asked, "So you saw it?"

"I did!" gasped Lacie. "All the colors blurred until you couldn't tell them apart. Then suddenly, they were a different color altogether…"

"And that's why you have to be on an express line to see it," explained Ashleen. "At that speed it looks totally wild."

Suddenly the road turned into a long stretch of flat pavement, and the bus began to decelerate. The outskirts of the city abruptly ended, becoming a drastically different landscape. Whereas the city was bright and multicolored, the land around it was barren dirt with patches of dead grass, broken up by only a long forgotten set of railroad tracks.

The bus hissed one last time as it halted at its last stop before returning to the city's center. Ashleen prodded the still awestruck Lacie, reminding her they had already reached their destination. Forcing her mind from the whirlwind of color she had just experienced, Lacie stood and exited the bus, with Ashleen close on her heels.

A handful of other people disembarked along with them, promptly scattering to the few homes on the city's edge or off to a train station heading to far away cities. Roaring once more, the bus left Ashleen and Lacie standing there on the end of civilization.

Carefully, Ashleen scanned the area to be sure the bus was out of eyesight and all of the others had made their way into one building or another. Quickly, she snatched Lacie's hand and swept her off into the dusty, dry nothingness that lead to their little shack. As soon as they had made it a fair distance from any watchful eyes, Ashleen slowed to a walk and released Lacie's hand. A bit more leisurely now, the pair began to make their way across the stark landscape.

xoxox

**_Gustavo Santaolalla – Deportation/Iguazu_

Lacie looked back at the bright colorful city as they walked and then to what lay ahead of them.

"I can't really tell if I like it better here or 'there'," Lacie sighed.

Not a single noise came down from the bustling city. Even though the landscape looked meager and dreary there was something about living here that was peaceful in a way. There were no cameras no people who watched you all the time and you could do whatever you wanted, almost freely. Everyone who lived around here in a way, fought for freedom where it hadn't arrived yet. Lacie hadn't seen a single adult living here since she had moved to join Ashleen and the other group members, only kids and teens, most of them abandoned or ignored by their parents who worked in the city. The suburbs seemed like a paradise to those kids, they fled here to gather with others who shared the same fate.

Lacie hadn't lived in the country. She didn't even natively speak the language that was spoken here, even though she spoke so well that anyone barely ever noticed.

Ashleen watched the dust under her feet raise with every step they took towards the shack. The ground was red rock and sand, like you would see it in Mexico in the canyons.

Thinking about her own past, Lacie realized that she knew almost nothing about Ashleen. She didn't know where she came from, or why she was here.

"Ashleen?" Lacie asked tentatively. "Can I ask you something?"

Ashleen smiled. "You already did," she retorted.

"Oh… I-," Lacie made.

"You may ask some more," Ashleen laughed. Her black hair was shimmering in the bright glaring sunlight.

The thermometer had already hit 105 degree and it would get hotter as the sun rose during the afternoon. Soon there would be heat haze all around them.

"I was thinking about all the people who live here," she started. "Most of them were abandoned by their parents who chose to work in the city and this place here seemed like paradise to them. They all fled here to surround themselves with people of their kind." She looked down watching her shoelaces dangle from side to side as she walked. "I don't know why you came here…"

She looked up at Ashleen's eyes. They sparkled with a strange glow to them.

"You don't have to tell me," Lacie said.

"It's the same reason that all the others had," Ashleen replied.

"So you fled from your home as well?"

Ashleen's gaze became distant. She spoke, "I hate being told what to do with my life. So I chose to go."

Lacie knew that would be the only answer she would get from Ashleen.

For a moment there was silence, then she was asked, "How about you, Lacie? What brought you here?"

Lacie ran her hand through her hair. "I wanted to live my dream," she said. "I wanted to live in another country, because I hated where I come from. I didn't like the people and I couldn't become who I really wanted to be."

There was something about Ashleen's expression that changed when she heard Lacie say she couldn't become who she wanted to. It was like she disagreed with her.

"Who do you 'really' want to be?" she asked, looking into Lacie's blue eyes.

"I wanted to become press photographer," she explained. "I had finished my apprentice in the country and worked at a photo studio for years. Of course it was fun. I loved it there. It was pretty much the only place I enjoyed being while I still lived there." She smiled, thinking back. "But then I realized I wanted something more. I wanted to travel the world and not be stuck in one place for the rest of my life. This was when I decided to start working for the press, but they wouldn't let me travel. So I moved here and now," she chuckled happily. "Now I'm working freelance and get my money from that. I have what I always wanted." She laughed. "And to top that I'm surrounded by people who are as nuts as me."

Ashleen thought she didn't hear right, she burst into laughter. "You're really suggesting yourself nuts?" she said it so loud that she was almost screaming. Then she lowered her voice, "You're not nuts, believe me." She pointed at herself. "I am, but not you."

"You don't know how I used to be," Lacie said. She was serious. "Could you imagine me, dressing like you all the time? Could you imagine me, beating people up who hurt my feelings, or stole things from me just for fun?"

Ashleen thought about it for a moment. She was almost suggesting that Lacie was joking. But when she looked at her face she knew that she wasn't.

"I don't think I can," she answered, quiet. "You really don't look like you would dress like me; neither do you look like you are able to hurt anyone."

Lacie sighed. It was almost a sigh of relieve. She said, "I wasn't who I seemed to be…" She looked at Ashleen who was attentively watching her face. She smiled at her and continued, "But now I am just who you think I am. I don't have to pretend I'm happy when I'm not anymore."

She noticed that Ashleen was stepping closer to her as the path they went along got narrower. There was nothing but plain fields of rotten grass around them for miles. In the distance the shack appeared.

"So you're happy now?" Ashleen asked, her green eyes on Lacie's blue ones.

"Yes," Lacie answered. Her voice turned almost inaudible as she suddenly felt Ashleen's hand on her shoulder. "Happier than I could ever be."

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't catch it," Ashleen asked again.

Lacie smiled. "I'm happy," she said, then looked away. She didn't see Ashleen's face turn red and neither did she know she had heard what she had said before.

They continued the rest of their way to the shack in silence, now and then talking about the meeting that was going to take place tomorrow.

Ashleen told Lacie that they would go to one of the smaller towns by train tomorrow. They would split up in groups and go 'shopping', though Lacie doubted that it was really shopping from the tone in Ashleen's voice. Lacie still wondered if Ashleen was up to punishing Ryan for what she pulled today.

"Look," Ashleen pointed out and Lacie saw what lay before them.

In a distance there was their shack, standing lonely next to the abandoned rail track in the middle of nothing. For a mile all you could see was field and then another shack, looking almost like theirs. The landscape seemed to go on like that endlessly.

10 minutes later they arrived.

xoxox

Creaking slightly, the door opened easily for Ashleen. She motioned for Lacie to head inside first, taking a swift glance around to make sure the pair were safe. Lacie made her way to the sofa and settled in. Not a soul was around except for the poor cat sitting outside in the sun.

"I'll be right there," said Ashleen, shutting the door and crossing the room to a dusty, old mirror.

She first took a small box from her pocket, similar to the one Lacie had received. Opening it, she removed its contents: a new ring for her lip. All the while being watched by Lacie, she picked up the little mirror and began to remove her old stud from her lip and replace it with the new ring.

Putting the mirror down carefully, as not to crack it any further than it already was, she turned to Lacie and asked, "Do you like it?"

"It's nice," replied Lacie, a bit surprised to be asked that.

Ashleen then joined Lacie on the sofa, smiling at her. The new lip ring shone under the harsh light cast from the naked bulb. Smiling now as well, Lacie couldn't help but look at it.

Gathering her courage, she asked, "Can I have a closer look?"

"Sure," Ashleen agreed, leaning towards her.

Before she could even stop moving, Lacie leaned towards her and landed a quick kiss on her lips. Frozen in shock, Ashleen just stared, before finally settling back into her seat.

Neither said a word.

xoxox

"What was that for?" Ashleen asked, after a while.

"I wanted to thank you," Lacie said simple, grabbing a bag of chips from the table and started eating.

"For what?"

She pointed at the box that was resting on her lap and put it down on the table in front of them. "It is sweet of you to give me something I like," Lacie smiled.

"And this is why you kissed me?" Ashleen was still in shock.

"Yes," Lacie said. She leaned towards Ashleen again. "And because I like you."

Ashleen's face distorted in disbelieve. She had been right!

Lacie chuckled. She held up a chip in front of Ashleen's eyes and asked, cheerily, "Do you want one?"

"No, thank you," Ashleen replied, a grin on her lips.

"Oh well," Lacie leaned back and lay down on the sofa, putting her legs over Ashleen's lap. Chewing another chip she muffled, "then there's more for me."

"I assume." Ashleen grabbed the remote sitting next to her on the sofa and started zapping through the channels. However there was nothing interesting on there ever.

She stopped at a news channel where they were showing the station construction they had been to earlier today. It was the same news as yesterday; nothing ever happened that would be worth mentioning. There weren't any murders or robberies on the news ever because the government banned everything that would lead the people away from the perfect illusion they were living in. While Ashleen, Lacie and all the others knew what was going on in the suburbs of the city. Weapons, guns, robbery and violence were as normal as eating to them.

Lacie sat up. "It's ridiculous that they never show what's 'really' going on out there. All I've ever seen on this news channel is either, politicians talk about their oh so lovely plans, or someone talking about all the new stuff the government puts our goddamn money in."

"Yeah I know," Ashleen sounded tired of it all. She didn't even have the energy to get mad at it anymore. She had been living this for way too long already.

Lacie's face grew sad, as she noted the expression on Ashleen's face. She moved closer to her on the sofa. She asked, "Do you need a hug?"

Ashleen looked up at her, her green eyes sparkling in contrast to the fade expression on her face. Her answer surprised Lacie, "No, I don't. But I think you do." She opened her arms.

"I? Why?"

"You look sad," she whispered.

"Oh, that I was actually-." She didn't get to finish. Ashleen had wrapped her arms around her already and pulled her into her arms gently.

"Shut up," Ashleen purred. She felt Lacie's hands wandering to her back and smiled.

"Ashleen?" came a muffled voice from Lacie. She had buried her head in her shirt.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Ashleen could tell she was happy, she felt her silent chuckle as a fast lifting and lowering of her chest against hers.

They kept sitting like that for a while, until Ashleen realized that Lacie had fallen asleep in her arms. Gently putting her back down on the sofa with a blanket and a pillow she turned off the TV quietly and went outside.

She had wanted to get that black cat into the house before. It would die in the heat outside, but the cat never came near people. If you came too close it would run. It was a stray cat.

Ashleen put some water and food outside the shack for it every day though and every time she checked the water and food were empty. Also the cat never seemed to go far away from their shack. It stayed around like it belonged there.

At the moment the cat was sitting on the rail track, looking around. Its yellow eyes staring at Ashleen and following her as she put fresh water in the silver feeding dish in front of the shack. The cat meowed and then lay down closing its eyes again.

'Oh well,' Ashleen thought. 'Maybe I should just go to sleep too. It's getting late anyway.'

Even though the sun was ablaze in the sky still, Ashleen knew that within an hour it would've vanished completely and darkness would cover the landscape, only to be lit up again by endless stars.

They would have to get up by the time the sun was rising again in the morning to get where they wanted too. It always took some time until they were done discussing and fighting over where to start and how to split up best. It would be Ryan, Takashi, Julio and Dan joining in tomorrow, so she had to be on her highest.

She went inside again and smiled at Lacie sleeping peacefully wrapped in a beige blanket. Ashleen lay down with her own blanket on the other end of the couch and fell asleep immediately, dreaming of Lacie's smiling face.

xoxoxxoxox

Lacie was already up before Ashleen and got ready. It was 7 in the morning. They would all be there in an hour and Ashleen was still sound asleep while Lacie put her makeup on and made scrambled eggs for breakfast.

She took a look in the mirror and smiled. The silver box in front of her, she took the delicate white gold stud with the red gemstone out of its silken lining. Removing the silver stud she had in and carefully placing it in the box where she had just taken out the new one she put it on. The red stone glittered in the light like a droplet of blood.

Lacie was mesmerized by how beautiful it was. She turned back around gazing out of the window.

Sunrise had arrived finally and she turned the switch for the light off. The room was flooded with orange sunlight.

She cleaned the table to make room for 2 plates so they could have breakfast. She was heading back to the stove when she heard Ashleen sitting up and asking, "What on earth are you doing?"

"I'm making us breakfast," Lacie replied. She filled two plates with scrambled eggs and a slice of bread. "You didn't hear the alarm go off."

Ashleen seemed confused. "There was none."

Lacie laughed, putting the two plates down on the table. "The alarm went off twice and you didn't hear it. It's 7 am by now."

Ashleen jumped from the sofa and rushed to the bathroom. "I'll be late, oh my god!"

"Don't you want to eat breakfast first?" Lacie called after her.

The damped reply came along with the door of the bathroom shutting, "Screw breakfast for now, I can still eat when they're there!"

Lacie shook her head and started eating. About 20 minutes later, Ashleen came back, fully dressed and rouged. Her eyes were framed with black liner, mascara and eye shadow. The black ring in her lip fitted the dark red lipstick.

She smiled as she looked at Lacie's nose.

"That's pretty on you," she complimented her.

"Thank you," Lacie seemed honestly flattered. "I like what you did with your eyes today."

A smug grin spread across her face, her eyes narrowed a bit and she asked, "Do you like what I did with my lips too?"

For a split second Lacie withdrew in her thoughts then she answered, only referring to the lipstick she had put on rather than to her kissing her yesterday, "Of course I do. It looks beautiful just like the rest of you."

"Aw, that's nice of you." Ashleen sat down in front of the table and started eating her now cold scrambled eggs. Lacie noticed that she wasn't wearing any jewelry other than the black ring with the ball and cone at the ends, two silver studs in each top of her ear and 3 and 2 smaller hoops in her lobes. She had put off her various rings and bracelets and replaced them with a simple silver ring and a tight fitting woven leather bracelet on her right wrist. She was wearing black jeans and a simple black top.

"So what are we doing today exactly?" Lacie asked Ashleen intrigued.

Looking up from her breakfast Ashleen answered, "You'll see soon enough."

"All right."

Finishing off her breakfast just in time, Ashleen saw Ryan standing outside the shack smoking. She stood up and opened the door.

"Ryan," her voice was threatening. "Can I have a word with you?" Glancing at Lacie who had risen from the sofa as well she added, "Alone."

With a quiet thud of the door falling shut she lead Ryan behind the house out of Lacie's sight.

"You know what you pulled yesterday was a bad mistake?" Ashleen's green eyes narrowed.

Ryan spat, "Nothing happened! Everything's fine. I was just waiting for someone!"

"You almost got caught again!" Ashleen hissed. "Takashi told me about it. He got the letter in the office! 'Unknown subject stealing goods from 'Cigz''. It's the cigarette store on level 1!" Ashleen stepped forward. "They couldn't identify you. If anyone gets wind of that we're all screwed!"

"Ashleen calm down! Nothing happened, we're all set!" Ryan raised her hands in defense, but she was laughing.

Ashleen's hand shot forward and grabbed Ryan by the collar of her striped shirt. "This is no game!" She said viciously, and pushed her against the wooden wall of the shack. "If you pull stunts like that again, at least pull them with us and don't join some unknown gang you meet on the streets!"

"What? They're my friends too, are you forbidding me to talk to whom I want to?" Ryan snapped. She tried to free herself out of Ashleen's grip.

"No," Ashleen breathed cold, her face only inches away from Ryan's. "I'm just giving you a good advice. If you know what's best for you quit swiping stuff from stores and getting caught!"

With that she released Ryan again and turned around. She asked, "Have you understood what I said?"

"Yes," Ryan growled. Out of protest she added, "But I won't."

Ashleen shot around with the speed of a bullet, her outstretched palm finding the left side of Ryan's face. Ryan gasped and slipped down the wall her cheek bright red. Tears were welling up her eyes. Ashleen stood over her, her face a terrifying mask. She kneeled down in front of Ryan and grabbed her wrist and pushed it down to the ground as she tried to hit her.

"None of the other groups will appreciate what you do either," she whispered cruel. "They wouldn't give you a second chance. They would 'erase you'."

Ryan stared up into Ashleen's eyes with hate. "I know they wouldn't," she spoke.

Ashleen laughed. "Oh believe me I know they would. Have you forgotten where I came from, Ryan?"

A shiver ran down Ryan's spine as she heard Ashleen's words.

"You don't mess with me," Ashleen now whispered. Then a fade cold smile crossed her lips. "You would be nothing without me, you know that as well as I do." A mad expression flared up in her eyes. "Who was the one who saved you?" She reached up her hand towards Ryan's red burning cheek and gently placed it there. "Who was the one who stood up for you when everyone else turned their backs on you?" Ryan felt Ashleen's breath caressing her face as she leaned towards her so close that their noses almost touched. She shivered. Ashleen continued, "Who offered you a place to live when they booted you out of the apartment because your parents didn't want to pay for you anymore?"

Ryan turned her head away, she began to cry. Ashleen released her wrist and put her other hand onto Ryan's cheek as well, moving both hands up to her ears and turning her head so she was facing her again.

"Who was?" she asked, studying every ever so slight line of smeared makeup on her pale face.

Ryan whimpered, her lips quivering, she shook her head. Ashleen's legs pushed against hers.

"Who was?" she asked again.

"It was you!" Ryan screamed as if she was in pain. Her body shook harder. "It was you! I'm sorry!"

Ashleen stood up. Ryan wrapped her arms around her legs, staring up at Ashleen in agony.

"Good," Ashleen chuckled. She paced a few steps away from her and turned again pulling a gun out of her back pocket of her jeans. Her lips curled into a diabolic smile.

Ryan's face went white as a sheet of paper.

"You had your chance, Ryan. And you abused it." Ashleen's finger went to the trigger. "Now rest in peace."

"No!" The shot and Ryan's long sustained scream were carried for miles.

Ashleen put the weapon back into her pocket and went over to Ryan. Her breaths came ragged. She put a hand on her shoulder as if to apologize.

"You're mad, you're mad, you're mad!" Ryan stuttered. There weren't any more tears streaking down her face. She looked herself over in disbelieve.

She wasn't hurt.

Ashleen smiled. "Blank cartridges," she explained.

"YOU'RE MAD!" Ryan shouted.

"I know." Her eyes were warning not to push it again.

Ryan glanced away. "You know," she said. "You know why I never tell you anything?"

"Yes," Ashleen answered. "I think I do."

"Y-you do?"

Ashleen stared at her. "For how dumb do you take me?"

"I don't know…"

Ashleen snorted and kicked a small pebble across the field. "You are afraid I could take everything from you again. You're afraid that I could take all you have in life, all that I gave you, all that you wouldn't have if I hadn't let you join and all that you worked for since you were here." Ashleen shook her head. "Have you ever stopped and thought about, 'why' I gave you all you got from me?"

"I-," Ryan hadn't.

"It's because I liked you," Ashleen stated. "And I wouldn't take it from you again even if I hated you now." She reached out her hand to help Ryan up. "Because that's what the government does. And that's what we fight against these days."

Ryan took Ashleen's hand and stood up. "Is anyone there yet?"

"Only Lacie, so you can go to the bathroom and get that smeared makeup off your face. There's everything you'll need in there."

"Um, she won't ask right?" Ryan seemed ashamed. She didn't want anyone to see that she had cried.

"No, she won't. She'll certainly be worried about you though."

"Ok."

Ryan found Lacie getting up from the sofa and instantly heading for her as she entered the shack.

Ashleen stopped her. "It's ok, Lacie. You don't have to ask. She's fine."

"I heard a gunshot!" Lacie said breathlessly.

Ashleen showed her the gun and grinned. "It was me. It was a warning to her."

Lacie's eyes went wide and Ashleen quickly added, "It can't hurt anyone. It's only blank cartridges."

"What did you do Ashleen?" Lacie asked almost scared.

"Me?" Ashleen raised her eyebrow. "Oh, I just got a little person is all."

"Personal?" her voice went two octaves up.

"Yeah…" Ashleen seemed distant. "And we better not talk about it again." There was some bitterness in her tone. Then she smiled at Lacie and said, "It won't ever happen to you, so don't worry."

Lacie didn't really know what to say so she kept silent.

Ryan came back out of the bathroom, her expression showed no emotion. She sat down on the couch.

Ashleen spoke again, "Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't think that I hate you, ok?" Ashleen said, looking at Ryan, "I don't, I'm just really upset about what you did."

Ryan didn't quite meet her gaze as she answered, "Ok."


End file.
